Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line
Rainie Edwin Howard (1884-1957) Son of the Poor Orphan Boy
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by Carolyn Ann Howard
I wonder if Rainie knew that he was named for his grandmother's maiden name, Raney. I'm guessing he probably did, because in the 1900 census, Rainie's father, Abraham Frank, listed his mother, Eliza Raney, as being born in Iowa. She wasn't; she was born in Indiana, but Abraham Frank was born in Iowa. His mother died shortly after that and just a few years later, his dad. He was then adopted and reared by his grandmother.
Many people give their children their mother's middle name. For example, our former Indiana governor, the late Robert Dunkerson Orr, was given his middle name, because that was his mom's maiden name. This is good news for us who work in genealogy, because it's very helpful in finding people.
In my father's research, he had reached a dead end when it came to "Frank Howard." That Frank was our Abraham Frank, Rainie's dad. I was only able to continue the family line because of the on-line tools we now have. My father had to do all his genealogical research without the use of the internet, so it's no wonder he got stuck where he did.
When I found Abraham Frank, I wasn't sure he was our guy. I try to be careful, although I still screw it up sometimes, but I didn't want to claim him until I was sure. When I saw, however, that he had named his son "Rainie," I let my guard down and added him to my tree. It makes sense that Frank's first name would be the same as his father, Abraham. And it would also make sense that Mary Ann would have taught her grandson about his mother, Eliza Jane Raney, so much so that he named his son Rainie.
Rainie Edwin Howard (Edwin is a family name as well) was born 24 Jun 1884 in Gaylor, Michigan, the third child for Abraham "Frank" and Nora Jane Moulton. That he was born in Gaylor makes no sense, as they lived in Clio, more than a 2-hour drive today. The place of birth is documented in his marriage registration, though, so I'm taking it as fact. Maybe they were passing through when Nora went into labor.
The first record I have of Rainie is the 1900 census. This census tells us that his mom, Nora, and his father, Abraham, had lost a child prior to that census, as it documented three births but only two living children. Abraham was a merchant. Rainie and his older sister, Maybelle, were "at school."
In 1901, the family got a scare as Abraham went out deer hunting and didn't come back. This is according to the Detroit Free Press dated 17 Nov 1901. Apparently a storm had come up quickly; he sought shelter inside a barn, got comfortable, and fell asleep. A huge rescue attempt was made, and he was found. In the article, he is branded as a "prominent merchant." Pretty cool.
In one of the gossip columns, it stated that A. F. Howard's wife and daughters (plural) were visiting Alma, Michigan. He only had one daughter, but so many times, the newspapers get it wrong. I looked at Maybelle's ancestry page. On further investigation, I found out that she was an accomplished musician. She was a graduate of Alma College, and she taught music in the public schools in Munising, Michigan. Many of the Howards were musically inclined, and Maybelle must have been an exceptional vocalist and pianist. After her marriage to Hugh McMillan in 1908, she gave piano lessons in her home.
Also occurring in 1908, Abraham, Nora, and Rainie moved from Munising to Owosso, Michigan. As far as I can tell, even though Maybelle was married in Owosso, she went back with her husband to Munising after the wedding. I'm unsure as to why the family moved to Owosso, but once there, they opened their business "Howard & Son, Undertakers." Rainie was 24. Their company was located inside the F. W. Pearce Furniture Store, 106 N. Washington Street.
Mortuary Science was in its infancy in 1908, but, according to the Gordon Funeral Residence web site, their founder, Glenn Gordon, in 1908, took special training and passed state boards in order to become an undertaker. Interestingly, this site also informed me that furniture stores at that time dealt with caskets. Click on photos to enlarge
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| From a 1908 Edition of the Owosso Times |
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| Pearce's store at 106 N. Washington Street Downtown Owosso, MI |
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| Same sight, present day Courtesy Google Maps, proper attribution given |
In a 21 Apr 1908 newspaper, an unfortunate event for the family occurred. Rainie's sister Maybelle had just returned from her honeymoon, and a diamond starburst that her husband had given her for a wedding gift was stolen. I guarantee he paid good money for that piece. Other pieces stolen included a watch, chain, bracelet, and an undisclosed amount of money.
In a 24 Apr 1908 newspaper, The Owosso Times, it stated that Rainie and his father had secured the rights to to manufacture "national vaults." These vaults were air-proof and waterproof. The article listed not only Abraham as an "undertaker," but also Rainie. The vaults weighed 1,000 pounds, and they manufactured them in Owosso.
On 18 Nov 1908, Rainie married Lillian Grant, who went by "Lily." Lily was born 28 Sep 1885 to Peter Grant and Frances Josephine Britton. I was unable to find out how they met, but together, they had four children: Frances "Jane," Loraine, Rainie "Grant," and Frank Edwin.
In 1909, Rainie helped to organize the National Cooperative Burial Association in Owosso, a forerunner of today's preplanning insurance. The fee for members was to be less than ten cents per year. The average funeral at that time cost $100.
According to the Owosso Times, 12 May 1911, R. H. Howard was now Dr. Rainie Howard, as he had become one of those newfangled chiropractors, having studied at the Grand Rapids Chiropractic School. The profession was so new that Abraham himself lobbied the state lawmakers to allow it to be practiced in the state of Michigan. In this little newspaper article, we are told that Abraham and Rainie were in Mount Clements, Michigan looking for office space. Why Mount Clements? It is located about 30 miles northeast of Detroit and is today about 1-1/2 hour drive from Owosso. Rainie and family made the move in June of that year. It doesn't look like there was any "bad blood" in the family with this move. The newspapers sing of how many times they all visited each other. There may have been more opportunities for patients being closer to Detroit.
Rainie was registered as a "drugless practitioner," according to the Owosso Times, 21 Nov 1913. On his WWI draft card, he wrote in his own hand that his occupation was "registered drugless practitioner." As for his employer, and I love this, he wrote MYSELF. All caps. This draft card tells us that he was tall and stout with blue eyes and light hair. Of course he was.
Once in Mount Clements, Rainie purchased a home at 58 S. Highland. Pretty nice home. Someone has put a lot of work into it over the years.
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| The Rainie Howard home as is looks today The blue one Courtesy Google Maps with proper attribution given |
